Metallic materials with embedded luminescent particles

ABSTRACT

Formation of an authentication element by deposition of a metal layer with embedded particles on a metal substrate, wherein the embedded particles are configured to convert energy from one wavelength to another. The embedded particles may be upconverters, downconverters, or phosphorescent phosphors, which can be detected and measured with analytical equipment when deposited in the metal layer. A metal substrate may include coinage.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/156,794, filed on Jun. 9, 2011, and claims benefit to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/353,333, filed Jun. 10, 2010,both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety forany and all non-limiting purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates in general to metallic materials, and moreparticularly to embedding luminescent elements in a metal object,including coinage.

BACKGROUND

Metal parts, such as automobile parts, medical devices, coins, etc., areregularly counterfeited. This illegal practice is widespread and has anegative economic impact on the producers of the genuine parts and, mostimportantly, on the consumers. Adding a security element to metal partsthrough doping the metal is typically limited to the addition of othermetallic elements that can survive casting and other high temperatureprocesses. Many metals and alloys used in high value parts, such asaircraft parts or coinage, are limited in their available variability ofthe composition, because of strict specifications on compositions toachieve other requisite properties, such as strength or wear resistance.Alternatively available technologies for metal parts, such as withpaints and coatings, etched barcodes, or other external securityelements, are easily removed or defaced.

Some metal parts (e.g., aircraft parts) are manufactured with very tighttolerances and are electroplated to ensure a smooth surface for anextended mean time between failures. Inorganic particulates (e.g.,silicon carbide particles, boron nitride particles, diamond particlesand so forth) may be co-deposited during the electroplating process toaugment the deposited layer's ability to become more wear resistant.Additionally, particles with lubricating characteristics, such asgraphite or Teflon, may be added in an electrodeposited layer to extendthe lifetime of a metal part.

SUMMARY

A method of securitizing a metal part that has not been exploited forauthentication purposes is plating with a metal layer. Metal platedlayers are typically optically dense, and therefore not well suited forcarrying optical security materials (materials that are opticallydetectable under certain conditions). Metal plating processes are alsonot conducive to the co-deposition of a dissimilar material, such as anoptical security material. Embodiments of the present invention describeprocesses to incorporate optical security elements that providesecurity, anti-counterfeiting, and/or name brand protection for objectsthat are subjected to this type of finishing. Using a metal matrix toenvelop the luminescent particles enables a better adhesion to theunderlying surface, which extends the lifetime of the optical featureover that of an ink, paint, or varnish. Moreover, since the securitymaterials may be incorporated into an overall existing manufacturingprocess, an additional procedural step of applying a security materialin a varnish, etc. may not be needed.

A novel attribute of embodiments of the present invention isincorporating an inorganic anti-counterfeiting feature within a metalmatrix. Another novel attribute of embodiments of the present inventionis an ability to change security elements at different stages ofelectrodeposition, which provides for an ability to detect differentsecurity elements at various wear stages of a particular part. Anothernovel attribute of embodiments of the present invention is a controllingof a plating barrel with intermittent stops of varying times to enhanceembedding of particles, as such tumbling can easily dislodge depositedparticles from the metal layer.

Incorporating an authenticating feature on metal surfaces with paints,inks, and other similar topical surface treatments have a disadvantagethat they allow for a simple removal of security features wheredurability of the feature may be required. An advantage of embodimentsof the present invention allows for the authenticating feature to beessentially built in along with the metal coating and remain intact aslong as the deposited composite metal coating is visible, which, for themost part, may be the lifetime of the part. Embodiments of the presentinvention also enable a metal part to be more wear resistant due to thecomposite layer, as the ceramic particles are much harder than the metalmatrix that is co-deposited during electrolysis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows emission scans of metal substrates (e.g., metal washers)after plating.

FIG. 2 shows emission scans of metal substrates before plating.

FIG. 3 shows an SEM image of a plated metal substrate with embeddedphosphor particles, wherein light colored specs are phosphor material.

FIG. 4 shows emission spectra of a coin substrate before and afterplating.

FIG. 5 shows fluorescence emission scans of metal substrates inExperiment 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a barrel plating system according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a dip plating system according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an electroless plating system according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an authentication process according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 12A illustrates an example of a substrate with a plated metal layerthat contains a distribution of luminescent particles deeply embeddedinto a lower portion of the plated metal layer.

FIG. 12B illustrates an example of a substrate with a plated metal layerthat contains a distribution of luminescent particles embedded on ornear the surface of the plated metal layer.

FIG. 12C illustrates an example of a substrate with a plated metal layerthat contains a distribution of luminescent particles throughout theplated layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an electroplating (also referred to as electro-deposition) process, ametal anode (metal to be plated) and cathode are connected to anexternal supply of direct current, most commonly, a rectifier. Thepositive terminal of the supply is connected to the anode and thenegative terminal is connected to the cathode (i.e., the substrate onwhich plating is desired). Both the anode and cathode are placed in theplating bath containing a solution of the desired metal salt to beplated. When the external power supply is switched on, the metal cationsfrom the bath solution undergo an electronic reduction (to their zerovalance state) on the surface of the cathode to form the metallic platedlayer (e.g., Ni+2→Ni+0). Concurrently, the zero valence metal, whichcomprises the anode, undergoes an electronic oxidation whereby metalions are generated, which serves to replenish the plating bath (e.g.,Ni+0→Ni+2). Correspondingly, additional metal ions from the platingsolution then add to the metal site that was just plated by the samemechanism.

Because the electroplating process occurs on the surfaces of the metalobjects, the metal ion is incorporated onto the surface of the substratevia metallic bonding, which is of magnitudes stronger than a coatingapplied as an ink, paint, or varnish to the metal substrate. Suchcoatings do not create metallic bonds between the atoms of the platingmaterial and the atoms of the metal substrate being plated. Therefore,in embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, a metal layerelectroplated on a metal substrate creates an object that isstructurally different than a coating that is deposited on a metalsubstrate as an ink, paint, or varnish, or any other similarcomposition. Thus, an electroplated metal layer on a metal substratedefines a structure that is different than a metal substrate with anink, paint, or varnish, or any other similar composition, depositedthereon.

Embodiments of the present invention herein disclose formation of anauthentication element by deposition on a substrate of one or more metallayers with embedded particles, such as inorganic particles, wherein theembedded particles are configured to convert received incident(excitation) energy from one wavelength to another, such as a firstultraviolet wavelength to a second ultraviolet wavelength, anultraviolet wavelength to a visible wavelength, an infrared wavelengthto a visible wavelength, a first infrared wavelength to a secondinfrared wavelength, etc. (though the particles may be configured toemit the same wavelength of energy as the excitation energy). Forexample, a metal layer may contain embedded distributed inorganiccrystal particles comprised of lanthanide-based rare earth dopedphosphors that convert energy of one wavelength to another wavelength,whereby the inorganic crystal particles are brought to an excited stateby receipt of a particular energy source that creates an energy transferthat gives off a photon(s) of a particular wavelength as a byproduct ofthe energy conversion process. This category of materials includescommon upconverters and downconverters, such as rare earth oxides,oxysulfides, fluorides, etc. Those skilled in the art of ceramiccomposite materials understand how these solid state particles functionas energy conversion devices.

As an example application of embodiments of the present invention, amanufacturer's liability may be called into question due to the failureof a metal component from counterfeiting, poor craftsmanship, orinadequate quality control. An identification mechanism in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention enables the detection anddetermination of the authenticity of the metal component, which mayexonerate or indicate the liability of such a manufacturer. Presently,many manufacturers have experienced increased liability due to theenormous amount of counterfeit parts that are common in today'smarketplace.

Furthermore, by the inclusion of the luminescent particles disclosedherein within a metal layer plated on coinage, it enables the rapiddetermination and authentication of a multitude of denominational coincurrencies in order to thwart the increasing amount ofanti-counterfeiting of the world's coin currency. An identificationmechanism in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may beapplied to coins, such as those utilized by casinos for slot machines,the service and recreational vending industries, commemorative coinage,prestigious medals, and circuit board and silicon chip industries, toname a few.

Upconverters, downconverters, and phosphorescent phosphors all can bedetected and measured with the proper analytical equipment when properlydeposited in a plating layer as described herein. FIG. 11 illustrates anexample of an authentication system and process 1100 in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. An illumination source 1101 emitsa wavelength(s) of energy (e.g., light) 1110 at a metal substrate 1102with one or more layers having the aforementioned particle(s) (or anyother luminescent particles disclosed herein or their equivalents),which then emit energy at a wavelength as detected by an opticaldetector 1103. The particles may be configured to emit one or moredesired wavelengths of energy, which may be at a different wavelength(s)as the excitation energy. A signal processor 1104, and optional display1105, may be utilized for analyzing the detected signals and for makingan authentication determination.

There are certain plating techniques, such as dip plating (see FIG. 9),rack plating, barrel plating (see FIG. 8), and electroless plating (seeFIG. 10), that are described herein according to embodiments of thepresent invention. Regardless of the plating method used, a successfulutilization of optical materials as an authentication method in aplating layer entails a careful selection of the particle sizes, platingchemistry, and plating conditions to arrive at a homogenous platinglayer containing the optical materials. As further discussed herein,conditions that would cause the phosphor materials to deposit tooquickly may lead to embedding the phosphor materials under an opticallyopaque plating layer, thus blocking the requisite optical signalrequired for authentication. Conversely, deposition of plating layerswith phosphor-rich surface layers may result in an optically goodfeature, but would be compromised by wear or attempts to remove thesurface plating to attenuate the authentication element. Platingconditions that would lead to a slow incorporation of phosphor materialsmay lead to inadequate amounts of phosphor incorporation, again withinadequate optical signal strength for proper authentication purposes.Herein are disclosed characteristics that result in optimalincorporation rates of particles of appropriate size for theauthentication of these substrates.

In embodiments of the present invention, the metal layers may bedeposited on the substrate to possess a uniform distribution ofluminescent particles in the plated metal matrix (also referred toherein as the metal layer or plated metal layer). This uniformdistribution of particles is advantageous in so far as it enables thedetection of emissions, and hence the product's authenticity, from theluminescent phosphors throughout the lifecycle of the plated product.FIG. 12A illustrates an example of a plated substrate 1201 with a platedmetal layer 1203 that contains a distribution of luminescent particles1202 where a substantial majority, or all, of the particles 1202 aredeeply embedded into a lower portion of the plated metal layer 1203, andas such, illumination light 1110 from the source 1101 will not be ableto penetrate the metal matrix 1203 to interact with (excite) theluminescent particles 1202, which ultimately precludes detection 1103 ofemitted energy from the particles 1202 present towards the lower portionof the layer 1203. FIG. 12B illustrates an example of a plated substrate1201 with a plated metal layer 1203 that contains a distribution ofluminescent particles 1202 where a substantial majority, or all, of theparticles 1202 are embedded on or near the surface of the plated metallayer 1203. This enables the detection 1103 of emitted energy from theparticles 1202; however, upon wear of the plated part over time, theparticles 1202 will be worn away along with the plated metal layer 1203,which will preclude authentication of the product. FIG. 12C illustratesan example of a plated substrate 1201 with a plated metal layer 1203that contains a distribution of luminescent particles 1202 substantiallyor effectively throughout the plated layer 1203. As a result, throughoutthe lifecycle of the plated product, including as wearing away of theplated metal layer 1203 occurs, particles 1202 disposed in the platedmetal layer 1203 more near the substrate 1201 will become exposed as thesurface metal layer 1203 wears away, thus allowing for theauthentication of the product as long as any of the plated layer 1203 ispresent. The plating methods disclosed herein produce such a desirabledistribution of luminescent particles as illustrated in FIG. 12C, asverified in the representative cross-section SEM image of FIG. 3, whichshows such a plated metal substrate with embedded phosphor particles,wherein light colored specs are phosphor material.

In embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein in which theluminescent particles dispersed in the plating solution becomephysically distributed throughout the entirety of the metal matrix asthis electroplated layer is being formed, such particles need to arriveat the cathode surface to be built into the plated metal layer andtherefore, first have to be transported from the bath solution to thecathode surface. Further, the longer a particle is in contact with thecathode surface, the more likely it will be incorporated into the platedmetal matrix, which ultimately gives rise to higher particle loadingrates in the metal layer.

The properties of luminescent particles used for security applicationsare quite different than those of the particles previously mentionedthat are utilized for wear resistance or lubrication. For example, thedensities of silicon carbide, boron nitride, and diamond are around 3.2g/cm³, 2.1 g/cm³, and 3.5 g/cm³, respectively. Similarly, the densitiesof Teflon and graphite are both around 2.2 g/cm³. These materials aresignificantly less dense than that of a typical luminescent securityparticle. For example, rare earth doped yttrium oxide-based phosphorshave densities greater than 5.0 g/cm³, and rare earth doped gadoliniumoxide-based phosphors have densities greater than 7.4 g/cm³. In part,due to the differences in densities between luminescent securityparticles and wear resistance and lubrication particles, previouslyestablished methods for incorporating these less dense materials into ametal layer are largely ineffective for security materials of this type.

Given the density of the particles is higher than that of the bathsolution, over a short period of time, the particles will settle to thebottom of the plating bath, and hence will not be available to thecathode surface for incorporation. One approach to overcome this problemis to agitate the bath solution via mechanical stirring, or other means.However, too much agitation leads to a decrease of particleco-deposition, because the particles are swept away from the cathodesurface before they are built in. Moreover, since the luminescentparticles utilized in embodiments of the present invention aresignificantly denser than the conventional materials used in theelectroplating processes (see previous discussion on densities of suchparticles), they require significantly more agitation in order to stayin suspension in the plating bath. An increase in agitation speed, meansthat the particles will possess a higher velocity within the solution,and therefore a lower mean residence time on the cathode surface. Thisresults in a lower likelihood of particles resting on the cathodesurface long enough for them to be incorporated into the metal matrix,and ultimately lower particle content in the plated metal layer.

This presents a problem in particular for metallic parts which areplated by barrel plating methods, such as illustrated in FIG. 8 andfurther discussed hereinafter. For barrel plating, the objects to beplated (e.g., coin blanks), are placed in a barrel-shaped enclosure,which traditionally is constantly rotated to ensure even plating on allsurfaces of the objects. When attempts are made to incorporateluminescent security particles into objects using established barrelplating techniques/methods, a lower than desirable level of theluminescent particles are incorporated into the metal layer as a resultof the constant rotation of the barrel, and hence constant motion of theplated objects. This constant motion of the parts being plated inconjunction with the velocity of the particles in suspension serves todramatically decrease the mean residence time of the particles on thecathode surface. Since decreasing the mechanical agitation of theplating solution is undesirable, given the high density of theluminescent particles, it was discovered that by intermittently pausingthe rotation of the plating barrel, a higher particle-cathode residencetime was achieved, which results in higher particle loading rates in theelectroplated layer. Additionally, the particle loading rate of theplated metal layer can be controlled to a desirable level by changingthe amount of time the plating barrel is at rest (see experimentaldiscussion and results in Table 1). For example, as further discussedherein, pausing the rotation of the barrel for 4 seconds may result in alower loading of particles in the metal layer than by pausing therotation of the barrel for 16 seconds.

It is also possible to control this effect by changing the rate at whichthe barrel is rotating, for example, a plating barrel rotatingconstantly at a rate of 30 or 40 revolutions per minute (rpm) will givea lower loading of particles in the metal layer as compared to a platingbarrel rotating at a constant rate that is less than these rates.Additionally, these two concepts of intermittent pausing of the barrelrotation and changing the rate of the barrel rotation can be combined toachieve a desired loading rate of the highly dense luminescent particlesthroughout the plated metal layer. As a result, embodiments of thepresent invention may incorporate such variables in the tumbling processto achieve desired deposition effects.

FIG. 8 illustrates a system and process 800 for electroplating a metallayer with embedded luminescent particles (e.g., an upconvertingphosphor or any of the other such particles disclosed herein or theirequivalents) on metal objects 807 (e.g., metal parts, metal washers,coinage, etc.). In a first example (herein referred to also as “Example1”), upconverting phosphor particles (e.g., approximately 90 g) areadded to a copper cyanide electrolytic solution (e.g., approximately 9L), such as commercially available from Technic, Inc. The resultantplating solution 801 may be heated (e.g., approximately to 150° F.). Theplating solution 801 may be agitated by a mechanical impeller (notshown) or stir bar or recirculation pump 804 to maintain theupconverting phosphor particles in better suspension in the platingsolution 801. Copper anodes 802 submersed into the plating solution 801may be coupled to a positive lead of a power supply 803. Metal objects807 (e.g., mild steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, titanium, orbronze) may be cleaned and placed into a plating barrel 806, which maybe connected to the other lead of the power supply 803. The dimensionsof the objects 807 may be recorded to determine the proper area of metalto be plated. For example, the area of a copper washer 807 may be 1.25in². To plate ten copper washers 807 at 25 a.s.f. (amps/foot), the powersupply 803 may be set to deliver 2.2 amps of current. Once the solution801 is energized, the plating process begins. In addition, the platingbarrel 806, which may typically rotate at 30 rpm, may be modified torotate at different speeds and/or at intermittent intervals throughcontrols to its motor 805. For example, the barrel 806 may be rotatedfor 4 seconds (s) and stopped for 16 seconds (other alternativeintermittent cycles may be used, such as rotate for 16 s and pause therotation for 64 s). This process modification allows for the phosphorparticles to better adhere to the metal substrate 807 surface as thecopper being applied via electroplating is building around theparticles. If the plating barrel 806 was permitted to rotatecontinuously (i.e., without stopping on an intermittent basis), amajority of the phosphor particles would become dislodged from theobjects 807, and the overall content of the phosphor particles in theplated surfaces may be minimized, if not completely eliminated. After aperiod of time (e.g., 60 minutes) under these conditions, the processmay be completed. Emission spectra of the objects 807 before and aftersuch plating examples were collected for different processes, in whichstainless steel, bronze, steel, copper, titanium, and brass were eachseparately plated with phosphor particles. Emission spectra werecollected (such as with a system 1100) on a Horiba FluoroLog-3spectrofluorometer. FIG. 2 shows graphs of such emission spectra beforethe plating process clearly indicating no signals detected by detector1103 in response to excitation with energy 1110 by an illuminationsource 1101. FIG. 1 shows graphs (which may be displayed on a display1103) of such emission spectra after each of the plating processes,which clearly indicate successful platings of each of the metal layerswith the embedded phosphor particles, since each exhibited an emissionof energy detected by detector 1103 in response to illumination 1110 bythe source 1101.

Referring again to FIG. 8, in another example, approximately 90 grams ofUV-Red phosphor (commercially available from Nemoto & Co., LTD) may beadded to approximately 9 liters of copper/zinc cyanide electrolyticsolution commercially available from Technic, Inc. The temperature ofthe resultant solution 801 may be brought to approximately 165° F. Thesolution 801 may be agitated by a mechanical impeller or stirrer or apump 804 to maintain the downconverting phosphor particles in asatisfactory suspension. Brass anode(s) 802 submersed into the platingsolution 801 may be coupled to the positive lead of the power supply803. Bronze washers 807 may be cleaned and placed into a plating barrel806. The dimensions of the washers may be recorded to determine theproper area of metal to be plated. In this example, the area of a bronzewasher 807 was 1.25 in². To plate ten bronze washers 807 at 25 a.s.f.,the power supply 803 may be set to deliver 2.2 amps of current. Once thesolution 801 is energized, the plating process begins. In this example,the barrel 806 may rotate for 4 seconds and stop for 16 seconds (otheralternative intermittent cycles may be used, such as rotate for 16 s andpause the rotation for 64 s). This process modification allows for thephosphor particles to be better adhered to the metal substrate surfaceas the brass being applied via electroplating is building around theparticles. After approximately 60 minutes under these conditions, theplating is stopped. For analysis of the plated washers 807, thefluorescence spectra were collected from a blank washer before platingand a washer post-plating. Fluorescence spectra were obtained (such aswith a system 1100) on an Ocean Optics USB4000 spectrometer (1103,1104), while illumination 1110 was supplied by a handheld short wave UVlamp 1101 (commercially available from Entela MineralLight, Lamp ModelNo. UVGL-58). As shown in FIG. 5, the spectra record 1105 from theplated washer was consistent with that of the raw phosphor, while theblank washer before plating showed no appreciable fluorescence.

A series of experiments were performed to determine optimal parametersfor embodiments of the electrolytic plating procedures disclosed herein.Referring to FIG. 8, a copper cyanide electrolytic plating solution 801was prepared per Example 1 initially without any security phosphor.Fifty coin blanks 807 (e.g., 17 millimeters (mm) in diameter, 2 mmthick) were plated in each experiment. Variables (parameters) testedincluded: (1) phosphor loading or concentration in the plating solution801 (5, 10, and 15 g/L); (2) barrel 806 tumbling rate and anyintermittence or pausing of the tumbling (30 rpm constant tumble withoutpausing of the tumbling, 4 seconds of tumble (at 30 rpm)/16 seconds ofpause of the tumbling, and 16 seconds tumble (at 30 rpm)/64 secondspause of the tumbling); and (3) current density (10, 20, and 30 a.s.f.)from the power supply 803. For all examples, the process 800 wasoperated to obtain a plating thickness on the coin blanks 807 between 30μm and 50 μm. For these experiments, an upconverting IR to Green rareearth oxysulfide phosphor was used, though similar results would beobtained for the other luminescent particles disclosed herein and theirequivalents. The emission spectra were collected and integrated (such aswith devices 1103, 1104) under similar conditions as in the firstexample. The average signal intensity (energy detected 1103 as beingemitted by the embedded particles in response to illumination orexcitation 1110 from a source 1101) for a series of 10 coins 807 foreach experiment (both sides, i.e., as shown in FIG. 6, such metal layers602, 604 with embedded luminescent particles 603, 605 may be depositedon all sides of a metal substrate 601) is reported in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Phosphor Current Signal Intensity Experiment Loading DensityTumble Rate/ (10 Coin No. (g/L) (a.s.f.) Intermittence Average) 1 0 30Constant 0 2 5 30 16 s/64 s 1549 3 10 30 16 s/64 s 2429 4 15 30 Constant56 5 15 30  4 s/16 s 194 6 15 10 16 s/64 s 2085 7 15 20 16 s/64 s 3419 815 30 16 s/64 s 4201

What these experiments indicate is that although phosphor loading in theplating solution and current density do have an effect on the signalintensity, a greater effect results from the utilization of theintermittent tumbling process. In all experiments the uniformity andluster of the metal finish on the coin blanks exceeded acceptablecriteria. This is not an expected result, since a constant tumblingprocess would typically lead to a better plating of the objects.

FIG. 9 illustrates a dip or rack plating process and system 900, similarto process and system 800, with labeled items 901-904 and 907 configuredand utilized similarly to labeled items 801-804 and 807, though withoututilizing a rotating barrel 806.

FIG. 10 illustrates a system and process 1000 for electroless plating ofa metal layer with embedded luminescent particles (e.g., an upconvertingphosphor or any of the other such particles disclosed herein or theirequivalents) onto objects 1002, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention. As a non-limiting example, nickel(II) sulfate (10.5grams (g)), sodium hypophosphite (12 g), lactic acid (10 milliliters(mL)), propionic acid (1.5 mL), lead(II) acetate (3 parts per million(ppm)), and upconverting phosophor particles (e.g., IR-Blue) (2 g) maybe added to approximately 500 mL of distilled water to produce a platingsolution 1001. Other equivalent materials may be utilized instead. Theplating solution 1001 may be stirred by a magnetic stirrer 1004 andmagnetic stir bar 1003 (e.g., at approximately 170 revolutions perminute (rpm)) to maintain a satisfactory suspension of the phosphorparticles in the solution 1001. The magnetic stirrer may incorporate ahot plate 1004 to heat the solution 1001. To the solution 1001 may beadded metal objects 1002 to be plated (e.g., nickel-coated steel coinblanks (substrates)); after being submerged in the solution 1001 (e.g.,for approximately 2 hours), the objects 1002 are removed and may bewashed with distilled water. For the noted example, an analysis wasperformed (such as with a system 1100) on a Horiba FluoroLog-3spectrofluorometer. FIG. 4 shows emission spectra of the coin substrate1002 before and after plating. Before the plating process there was noenergy emitted by the coin substrate 1002 in response to the excitationby an energy (illumination) source 1101, while a significant energyresponse is shown in the graph due to energy emitted by the upconvertingphosophor particles embedded in the plated metal layer on the coinsubstrate 1002, indicating a successful plating process of the embeddedphosphor particles.

Some embodiments of the present invention apply multipleelectrodeposited metal layers to a metal substrate where each layercontains particles that emit at different wavelengths from the particlesin the other layer(s), which enables a determination of an amount ofwear according to the wavelength of light that is detected. Any of theprocesses disclosed herein may be used for depositing such multiplelayers.

For example, referring to FIG. 7, a metal part (substrate) 701 maycontain two or more separate metal (e.g., nickel) layers 702, 704 (e.g.,each 10 μm thick) with embedded inorganic (e.g., phosphor) particles703, 705 that emit energies at two or more different wavelengths whenappropriately excited. An outermost surface layer 702 may containparticles 703 that emit energy at a first wavelength (e.g., 480 nm). Asecond layer 704 may contain particles 705 that emit energy at a secondwavelength (e.g., 545 nm). Initially, the outermost surface layer 702would emit its 480 nm energy until the first 10 μm surface layer 702 issufficiently worn away, enabling the second 10 μm layer 704 to emitenergy at 545 nm when appropriately excited. When this layer 704 issufficiently worn away it will reveal the substrate 701 (or,alternatively, further metal layer(s) with additional embeddedparticle(s)). The foregoing may indicate to a user that the metal partneeds to be replaced or resurfaced. For example, a user may wish toreplace or resurface a part when it can be excited with an energy thatcauses the 545 nm wavelength of energy to be detected. Such embodimentsof the present invention are not limited to these particular layerthicknesses, wavelengths, and/or numbers of layers.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the periods of barrel rotation may comprise any variations ofperiods of time where the barrel is rotated and the barrel is notrotated, and such periods of rotation and pausing of the rotation may berotations of the barrel at different speeds from each other. Forexample, pausing of the rotation may be substituted with slower rotationspeeds, including very slow speeds, to achieve desired depositionvariables. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for depositing a metal layer havingembedded luminescent particles onto a metal substrate, comprising:mixing the luminescent particles with a metallic material to produce aplating solution; inserting the metal substrate into the platingsolution; and performing a plating process to coat the metal substratewith the metal layer, wherein the metal layer contains embeddedluminescent particles.